Breech-loading ordnance



A. T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM.

BREECH LOADING DRDNANCE. A'Pmcmou mu) JUNE 25. me.

Patented Jan. 6,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

o mgnw, 711W x W, M

A. T- DAWSON AND, G. T. BUCKHAM.

BREECH LOADING ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1918.

Patented Jan. 6,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON,ENGLAND, AS-SIGNORS T0 VICKERS LIMITED, 015 \VESTMIN-STER,

'EN GLAND.

BREECI-i-LOADING ORDN AN CE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, knight, and Sir GEORGETHOMAS BUOKHAM, knight, both subjects of the King of Great Britain,residing at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county ofLondon, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in orRelating to Breech-Loading Ordnance, of which the-following is aspecification. I

p This invention relates to semi-automatic guns of the kind in which thebreech closing spring and the means for actuating the breech mechanismautomatically are rendered inoperative by suitable controlling deviceswhen the gun is converted from the to render the automatic actuatingmeans operatlve.

According to the present invention the .device for controlling thebreech closing spring and the device for controlling the automaticactuating means are connected .together in such manner that a singleoperation serves to render the breech closing spring inactive andtheautomatic actuating means inoperative for the quick. firing conditionand a single operation also. serves to render the said spring active andthe said means operative for the semi-automatic condition. In thismannerwenot onlysave time .in'the conversion from one condition to the other,but we also avoid the liability .of

the gunner omittingto perform the aforesaid separate operationfor'rendering the automatic actuating .meansoperative or inoperativeasthe case maybe. 1

In. order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarriedinto effect we will rdescrihetthe :same,..more,u1 1ySpecification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 25, 1918. Serialno. 241,899. I v

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

1 Figures 1; 2 and 3 are respectively a left hand side elevation, a rearelevation and a plan of the breech end of a gun provided with ourimprovements.

Figs. 4 and 5 are right hand side elevations showing the parts setrespectively for the semi-automatic condition and for the quick firingcondition.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a cylinder which carries theaforesaid breech cl0sing spring, displaced into a position forvdismantling. v I a Fig. 6'is a section taken approximately on the line6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a local section taken approximately on the'line 7- of Fig. 4and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 8 is .a local section taken approximately on the line 88 of Fig. 4and drawn to anenlarged scale.

Fig. 9 is a section taken approximately drawn to an cam as is wellunderstood. C is the breech closing spring. "D is the aforesaid devicefor controlling this snring and E the aforesaid device connected to thedevice Dand adapted .to render the pawl B inoperative or allowit tobecome operative as required.

I In the exampleshown the aforesaid cam B is fixed to or made integralwith the breech actuating handlever A and the shaft A and the aforesaidbreech c'losingspring C is disposed Vina cylinder-C and bears against aplunger .0 the lower end, of which engages with a pin ,0 detachablycarried by the cam B so as to form a crank pin. The cylinder has .alateral projection .0 near its and 11eee e t m t e-Pha P Q -QfiQ- worksin a recess a in the breech end of the gun. The said projection isconstituted by a T-shaped head having curved surfaces and the recess isundercut to provide grooves in which this head works. I i

In this manner the cylinder G can be readily detached (after the pin 0has been removed) by displacing it through an angle of 90 degrees tobring the flat sides of the said T-shaped head into coincidence with thenarrow portion or neck of the recess a, as shown in Fig. 5 therebyenabling the said head to pass through this narrow portion and thecylinder to be removed.

The aforesaid device D is in the form of a plate pivoted at (Z to thebreech end of the gun above the cylinder and engraved with the twoworking positions QF and SA. The pivot pin (Z of the plate is integraltherewith and is detachably connected to'the gun by a bayonet joint.This plate D carries a pin D connected preferably by a bayonet joint toone end of a link F, the said pin also forming a milled handle by whichthe plate can be moved about its pivot (Z. The other end of the link hasalateral projection F providedwith a circular head working in anundercut recess a of key-hole formation in the breech end of the gun andhasa toepiece (constituting the aforesaid member by means of which thepawl B can be put out of action when the gun is to be used under quickfiring conditions (see Fig. 5). The plate D is formed with a groove (5concentric with the pivot cl of the plate in which groove works a springcontrolled plunger D (see Fig. 8) carried by the gun. At each end ofthis groove a recess 0i (see particularly Figs. 8 and 10) is providedfor the reception of the plunger which thus retains the plate in thedesired position for the quick firing or the semi-automatic condition ofthe gun. The said plunger is disposed 1n a recess a (see Fig. 8) in thebreech end of the gun and is actuated and retained in position by amilled pin D which is screwed into, and limits the movements of,-theplunger. A small hole d (Figs. 4, 5, 8 and 10) is drilled in the platethrough which a tool can be inserted to displace the plunger fordismantling purposes. To dismantle, the pin D is removed, and the plateD is moved beyond the Q F position te release the bayonet joint of thepin d and permit of the plate D being removed.

When the breech isopened under quick firing conditionsthe cylinder Ccontaining the breech closing spring C moves unobstructed in its path sothat the spring is not energized during this operation (see Fig. 5) theaforesaid plate D being so shaped that when moved to the quick firingposition shown by Fig. 5, it leaves the head ofthe cylinder Cf and atthe same time raises the link Fg'the toe-piece E'onthe' lower end of thebreech block (see the link by meeting the pawl B lifts the latter upwardabout its pivot 72 and thus puts it out of action; during the run-outmovement of the gun the toe-piece E first meets the pawl and the latteris thus lifted clear of the cam B.

When converting to the semi-automatic condition after the gun has beenloaded under quick firing conditions, the plate D comes into contactwith the head of the cylinder C (see Fig. 4), lowers the link F andreleases the'pawl B so that during the runout movement of the gun. thepawl, by engaging with the cam B', opensthe breech mechanism andcompresses the breech closing spring C, the breech mechanism being heldin its open position by claws g on the extractor G engaging withprojections on Fig. 6) on again loading the gun, the extractor iscarried forward by the cartridge case, thereby moving the claws 9 out ofengagement with the said projections on the breech block, thus releasingthe breech mechanism which is closed by the spring C.

It is to be observed that the assembling and dismantling of the variousparts may be easily and speedily accomplished by displacing them beyondtheir working positions and then moving them out of the recesses inwhich they work. It is also to be observed that for the first round tobe fired. under semi-automatic conditions the breech can be openedwithout this operation energizing the aforesaid breech closing spring.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. Inbreech loading ordnance of the semiautomatic type, thecombination with the breech closing spring, a device for rendering saidspring inactive for quick firing work ing of the gun, means foractuating the breech mechanism automatically during semi-automaticworking of the gun and a device for rendering said means inoperative forthe quick firing working, of means for connecting said devices togetherinsuch manner that a single operation serves to renderthe springinactive and the automatic actuating means inoperative for the quickfiring working of the gun and a single operation also serves to renderthe said spring active and the said actuating means operative for thesemi-automatic working of the gun. s

2. In breech loading ordnance of the semi-automatic type the combinationwith the breech closing spring, of a device which when set to a positionfor the semi-automatic working of the'gun, serves as an abutment for oneend of said spring and when set to a position for the quick firingworking of the gun no longer acts as such abutment, means for actuatingthe breech mechanism automatically during the semiautomatic working ofthe gun, a device for rendering said means inoperative for the quickfiring Working of the gun and operative for the semi-automatic workingof the gun and means for connecting said devices together in such mannerthat conversion from the semi-automatic to the quick firing workingcondition or vice versa can be performed by a single operation.

3. In breech loading ordnance of the semi-automatic type, thecombination with the breech closing spring, of a device which, when setto a position for the semi-automatic working of the gun, serves as anabutment for one end of said spring and when set to a position for thequick firing working of the gun no longer acts as such abutment, a pawland a cam for actuating the breech mechanism automatically during thesemiautomatic working of the gun, a device for holding said pawlinoperative for the quick firing working of the gun and allowing it tobecome operative for the semi-automatic working of the gun and a rodconnecting said devices together so that they can be movedsimultaneously to the semi-automatic or to the quick firing position.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM.

